Pope Francis makes historic trip to Mongolia

Pope Francis will be in Mongolia from September 1st to September 4th, to visit the country’s small but growing Catholic community and other religious leaders. The head of ACN projects in Central Asia, Peter Humeniuk, and the director of ACN International’s press office, María Lozano, will also be traveling to Mongolia for the papal visit.

With his trip to Mongolia in early September, the Holy Father stays true to his motto of going “to the peripheries.” 3.2 million people live in Mongolia; 58 percent of them are Buddhist, five percent are Muslim, and not even two percent are Christian. And according to the Vatican, of the country’s 62,000 Christians, less than 1,500 are Catholic.

But the Catholic community in Mongolia awaits their first papal visit with great enthusiasm.

“I am very excited to see the Pope in Mongolia, and I believe that it will bring hope and enthusiasm to the Church, but also to people who are not Christian. Mongolia is a Buddhist-dominated country, and the Pope’s visit will help our interreligious dialogue to be more friendly and fruitful. He will meet with Mongolian Buddhist monks, and other religious leaders as well, which will be really helpful for our community,” said Cecilia Munkhzul Zoljargal, head of Media and Communication at the Apostolic Prefecture in Ulaanbaatar.

Unlike its neighbor China, Mongolia enjoys extensive religious freedom. However, the challenges of rapid economic and social change have made some local authorities wary of religion, hence the importance of the visit.

In the past, ACN has supported small projects in Mongolia, including the provision of Mass stipends for priests, general repairs for the cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Ulaanbaatar, the country’s capital, and in 2020, the purchase of a new car for one of the congregations in the country. The charity is also helping with projects that will make the Pope’s visit possible.

“Mongolian Catholics need the Pope’s visit for visibility and international support, because for many years, nobody even thought about them. Missionaries started from scratch in a wild plain, all alone, and put a lot of effort into building this community, which deserves attention,” said Peter Humeniuk, head of ACN projects for Central Asia.

“In recent weeks, we have been in contact with Bishop Giorgio Marengo, the Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, to discuss how we can deepen support for the country’s Catholic Church in the short-term future,” he added.

Humeniuk will be traveling to the country with Maria Lozano, director of ACN’s international press office, to assist the local Church throughout the papal visit.

“I think the Pope’s visit is important for the whole region. Strategically located between Russia and China, Mongolia is a neutral territory. Buddhists in Mongolia are peaceful and open to dialogue with the Vatican, and the Mongolian government is a social democracy and does not create any obstacles. The country has the potential to become an important partner for the Holy See in east and central Asia, and an example for other Asian countries,” said Lozano.

“This visit must be included in the list of trips with an important interfaith context, along with places like Iraq, Kazakhstan, and Bahrain. Pope Francis does not hesitate to travel thousands of miles to live out fraternity and enter into dialogue with other world religions,” she emphasized.

“It is also a sign of affection for the Central Asian Bishops’ Conference, which brings together Catholics from the former Soviet countries of the region: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. These are minority Churches, and the Pope recognizes them for giving life and light to the universal Church,” Humeniuk went on to say. “And like the Holy Father, our foundation also wants to serve Christians in these peripheral areas, where they are only a small flock. It is one of the priorities of my office.”

For interview requests during the Pope visit with Peter Humeniuk or Maria Lozano, please contact press@acn-intl.org.

—Filipe d’Avillez and Maria Lozano